1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing parts and in particular to a method and apparatus for connecting parts to each other. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for swaging a fitting to a tube.
2. Background
In manufacturing aircraft, the assembly of different systems for the aircraft may require pipes, tubing, or other materials to be connected to each other. For example, in installing a hydraulic system in an aircraft, different tubes may be connected to each other to create a seal to contain fluids, such as hydraulic fluids, for the system.
One manner in which different pieces of tubing or other assemblies that may carry fluids can be connected to each other is by swaging. Swaging is a metal forming technique in which dimensions of an item are altered using a component into which the item is forced. In these examples, a metal tube may be connected to a swage fitting. The swage fitting may deform the metal tube to create a seal between the metal tube and the swage fitting. Another end of the swage fitting may be connected to another metal tube to connect the two tubes together. Similar types of processes may be performed for installing tubing for wiring or other items within an aircraft.
The swage fitting has an axis that may be aligned around or about the axis of the tubing. This type of swage fitting is also referred to as an axial swage fitting. The swage fitting may be moved towards the tubing to deform the tubing and/or swage fitting to create a connection. In these examples, the connections may be sealed connection, such that fluids do not leak out of the connection.
Currently, tools for swaging axially swage fittings to tubes are awkward to use. The currently available tools may use a hydraulic pump. These tools and/or the hoses for the pumps along with the tools to perform swaging are moved into the interior of the aircraft to perform swaging for systems being installed. Currently, with these types of tools a swage process generally requires two persons to perform for safety and quality reasons. An axially swaged fitting may require 10,000 pounds per square inch of pressure to create the fitting. The currently used processes to create these types of fittings require time and may be expensive to use in creating connections between tubes.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that overcomes the problems described above.